Philippines Musical Instruments

                                                                Partido State University

                                                                  College of Education

                                                                   Goa,Camarines Sur

                                                                 lynnieboholano@yahoo.com

                                                                   lynnieqo@gmail.com 

             A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates to the beginnings of human culture. Early musical instruments may have used for ritual: such as a trumpet to signal success on the hunt, or adrum in a religious ceremony. Cultures eventually developed composition and performance of melodies for entertainment. Musical instruments evolved in step with changing applications.

List of Philippine musical instruments

Philippine musical instruments:

• "Aerophones"
  • Bulungudyong – vertical flute (Pinatubo Ayta)
  • Palendag – lip-valley flute
  • Tulali – bamboo flute with 6 holes
  • Tumpong – bamboo flute
  • Lantoy- nose flute
  • Bansik - bamboo flute with three holes of the Negrito people in Zambales.

• "Chordophones"
  • Bamboo violin – a three-stringed violin of the Aeta people.
  • Butting – a bow with a single hemp string, plucked with a small stick.
  • Faglong – a two-stringed, lute-like instrument of the B'laan.
  • Guitar – introduced by the Spanish in the 17th century, now one of the most popular instruments in lowland (Christianity in the Philippines|Christian) areas.
  • Budlong- bamboo zither
  • Pas-ing - a two-stringed bamboo with a hole in the middle from Apayao people.

• "Lutes"
  • Bandurria#Philippine bandurria|Bandurria – part of rondalya ensemble, it has a shorter neck and 14-strings compared to its Spanish ancestor.
  • Buktot – a four-stringed instrument made from coconut shells originating in the Visayas.
  • Kudyapi – a six-stringed boat lute from Mindanao.
  • Laúd – similar to the bandurria, it is ultimately of Spanish origin. Also part of a rondalya ensemble.
  • Octavina – part of a rondalya ensemble, it is of ultimately Spanish origin.

• "Tuned gongs"
  • Agung – large gong suspended from an ornate frame
  • Gandingan – set of four large hanging knobbed gongs
  • Kubing – jew's harp (Maranao)
  • Kulintang – set of eight tuned gongs placed horizontally in an ornate frame, tuned pentatonic scale|pentatonically.

• "Xylophones"
  • Gambang|Gabbang – bamboo blades on a frame similar to marimba (Yakan, Batak, B'laan, Badjao, Taus)
  • Luntang – wooden beams hanging from a frame (Maguindanaon)

• "Metallophones"
  • Kulintang a tiniok – set of eight, tuned knobbed metal plates strung on a wooden frame (Maguindanaon)
  • Saronay – eight tuned knobbed metal plates strung over a wooden frame (Maranao)

• "Membranophones"
  • Agung a tamlang – bamboo (slit drum)
  • Dabakan – goblet drum (Maranao)
  • Gandang – double-headed barrel drum (Maranao)
  • Kagul – scraper
  • Libbit – conical drum (Ifugao)
  • Sulibao – conical drum (Ibaloy)
  • Gambal- drums

• "Idiophones"
• Babandil- small gong
• Aruding- Jew's harp (Palawan

Philippine Music Instruments CORAZON CANAVE-DIOQUINO

The sulibao and kimbal of the Bontok and Ibaloi are longitudinal slightly barrel shaped hollowed out logs with deer skin heads on one end. The taller drum (ca. 80 cm) is called the kimbal; the shorter (ca. 75 cm) is called the sulibaw. The drum dead is small measuring about 6 cm. in diameter. They are played with palms of two hands. The drums are combined with gongs and other instruments to form different types of ensembles.le headed drums         Music instruments, mechanisms that produce sounds, have been used for various purposes. In earlier times they were also used as an adjunct to dance or to labor. In later civilizations, instrumental music was used for entertainment. Present day musicological studies, following the Hornbostel-Sachs classification, divide instruments into the following categories: idiophones, aerophones, chordophones, and membranophones. Idiophones        Instruments that produce sound from the substance of the instrument itself (wood or metal) are classified as idiophones. They are further subdivided into those that are struck, scraped, plucked, shaken, or rubbed. In the Philippines there are metal and wooden (principally bamboo) idiophones.        Metal idiophonse are of two categories: flat gongs and bossed gongs. Flat gongs made of bronze, brass, or iron, are found principally in the north among the Isneg, Tingguian, Kalinga, Bontok, Ibaloi, Kankanai, Gaddang, Ifugao, and Ilonggot. They are most commonly referred to as gangsa. The gongs vary in sized, the average are struck with wooden sticks, padded wooden sticks, or slapped with the palm of the hand. Gong playing among the Cordillera highlanders is an integral part of peace pact gatherings, marriages, prestige ceremonies, feasts, or rituals.        In southern Philippines, gongs have a central profusion or knot, hence the term bossed gongs. They are three of types: (1) sets of graduated gongs laid in a row called the kulintang; (2) larger, deep-rimmed gongs with sides that are turned in called agung, and (3) gongs with narrower rims and less prominent bosses called gandingan. These gongs may be played alone but are often combined with other instruments to form various types of ensembles.        Bamboo idiophones abound in the Philippines-xylophones, drums, quill-shaped tubes, stamping tubes, scrapers, buzzers, and clappers.        The bamboo xylophone, gabbang, is found in southern Philippines among the Yakan, Sama, Tausug, and Palawan. It consists of bamboo keys of graduated lengths mounted on a trapezoidal box. The number of keys varies among the different ethnic groups, ranging from 3 to 22. In northern Luzon, among the Kalinga, individual xylophone-like blades called patatag are struck with bamboo sticks.        The bamboo slit drum, such as the Bukidnon bantula is fashioned out of a bamboo tube closed at both ends with anode with a slit cut out of the tube. Found among different groups of people, its main use is to announce important events.        The struck quill-shaped bamboo tubes with notches etched on the tube, are found only in southern Philippines such as the Maranao tagutok and the Maguindanao kagul. The player scrapes the notches with a bamboo stick.        Among the Cordillera highlanders, bamboo buzzers are widespread. They are made from a length of bamboo closed with a node at the bottom, with its top half shaped so that two tongues face each other. The top half is struck against the palm of the hand. They are known by different names such as balingbing, pew-pew, pakkung, bilbil, bungkaka by the various groups.        The Ifugao have a bamboo clapper, hanger, fashioned from a tubular section of bamboo, split from one end to approximately half of the tube. Each half of the split portion is shaped to make it narrower in the middle, thus making it more flexible when the halves are made to flap against each other.        Wooden idiophones include sticks, suspended logs, and log drums. The Hanunuo kalutang consists of pair of sticks cut from forest trees. These are struck against each other and played while hiking through forest and mountain trails.        The Ifugao pattung is a percussion yoke bar made from a tapered piece of wood and struck with a stick. It is used in a ceremonies for the sick, at rites which entail the offering of sacrificial pigs, or at death rituals.        Suspended logs are widespread in southern Philippines where they are known by different ethnic names. The Maguindanao luntang consists of several logs of varying lengths hung in order from longest to shortest. The pointed playing ends of each log is struck by one performer creating a melody against which another performer beats drone rhythm on one of the logs.        The Tagakaolo edel is a sounding board with resonator played during wedding celebrations together with a drum or gong to accompany dancers. The Bagobo and Bilaan have similar drums.        Jews harps are bound all over the Philippines. They are principally made from bamboo although in Philippines some are made of metal. It is a type of mouth resonated instrument consisting of a flexible tongue fixed at one end to a surrounding frame. The player places the free end of the instrument with the hand, or in some other types by pulling a string attached to the blade. The instruments have different manes among the various ethnic groups. In the south the most common term is kubing, in the north ulibaw. Aerophones        Philippine bamboo aerophones include various types of flutes, pan-pipes, and reed pipes. The most widespread and numerous are the flutes which are mostly end-blown with the air stream directed into the open end of the tube.        The lip valley notch flute, so called because of its mouthpiece which is obliquely cut and curved at a slant to follow the contour of the player's lips, is found in northern and southern Philippines. They are known by different names among the different linguistic groups, such as the paldong in the south and the palendag in the north. They are instruments of leisure, used for serenading, courting, or merely to pass the time away.        The nose flute, another type of end-blown flute, is found mostly in northern Philippines where the Kalinga call it tongali, the Bontok kaleleng, and the Ifugao ungiung. It is found sporadically in some areas of the south among the Hanunuo (lantuy), the Batak (lantoy), and the Bukidnon (bulaktob). The Cuyunin of Palawan have gigantic nose flutes with tubes much larger in diameter than those found in Luzon.        Less common flutes are the ring type called suling in southern Philippines; the whistle type called thumpong (Subanun); and the reed called saunay (Tausug).        Stopped pipes found in northern Philippines are the saggeypo (Kalinga) and the sagay-op (Bontok). The bamboo pipe is closed on one end by a node with the open end held against the lower lip of the player as he blows directly across the top. The pipe can be played individually by one person or in ensembles of three or more.        Rarely used today is the bamboo panpipes called diwas, diwdiwas, or dew-dew. These consist of a number of bamboo pipes (5-8)strung together.        Most Philippine transverse flutes are adaptations or imitation of European versions evident in the borrowed names such as flauta (Ilonggo, Sebuano, Bicol); plawta (Manobo) and palawta (Hanunuo, Waray). The Cuyunin use a transverse flute called tipanu which is also found among the Batak of Palawan.        Other blown instruments are those made from shell or carabao horn. These are used for calling people or sending messages over wide distances. Shell trumpets include the budyong,lungga, taburi. Carabao horns are the tambuli (Tagalog) and kogao (Ifugao). Chordophones        These are bamboo or wood stringed instruments that may be struck, plucked, or bowed. They included zithers, lutes, and bowed strings.        Philippine zithers have resonating bodies that are made from bamboo tubes or half tubes with strings that run parallel to the length of the tube. Tube zithers are found in northern Luzon, Mindanao, and Palawan. They are of two types: polychordal zithers with several strings that run around the tube, and parallel stringed zithers which have two strings on one side of the tube.        Polychordal tube zithers found in the Cordilleras, Mindanao and Palawan have strings that are etched out of the bamboo body, remaining attached at both ends. Small wooden frets are inserted beneath the string near the ends. The number of strings varies from 5 to 8 or 9 and occasionally even 11. Some names by which this zither is called are: kolitong, kollessing, kulibet, saluray, sigitan, takul, tangke, togo, and pagang.        In the parallel stringed tube zithers, two bamboo strands, about 5 cm. apart, are etched out to the tube to serve as strings. At mid-point of the tube, below the strings, a small sound hole is bored and covered by a small bamboo plate clipped to the strings. When played, the strings are struck by a bamboo stick or plucked. The instrument, with slight variations, is found in northern Luzon, Mindoro, Mindanao, and Palawan where they are known by such names as tambi, bamban,tabengbeng, kudling, tabobo, thambabok, takumbo, and patigunggung.        Lutes are found only in the south, in Mindanao and Palawan. They are of the long neck variety, with two stings that run from the neck to the base of the resonating chamber. One sting plays a drone, the other a melody. Though all the lutes are fretted, the location and number of frets vary between groups. The frets of the Maranao and Maguindanao kudyapi are glued to the body of the resonating chamber, while the frets of the Bilaan fuglung, the Mansaka and Mandaya kudlong and the Palawan kusyapi are located on the neck of the instrument.        One stringed bowed lutes (fiddles) of the long neck variety are found in Mindanao. They have a sounding box made from a coconut half shell covered with a leaf, or a piece of bark or animal skin. The string is make of abaca fibers, horse hair, and more recently, wire. In is called duwagey by the Manobo and Bilaan.       In the later period of the Spanish regime, a favorite string ensemble called cumparsaemerged. It was anadaptation of similar instrumental groups in Mexico (murza or murga) and Spain (estudiantina). During the early years of the American regime, the cumparsa was superceded by the rondalla.      The rondalla ensemble consists of plucked string instruments: the bandurria, the laud, theoctavina, the six stringed gitara and the bajo de unas or bass guitar.        The bandurria is pear shaped, with a rounded back, a round sound hole and a fretted neck. It serves as the melody instrument of the ensemble. Theoctavina and bandurria are tuned an octave below the laud. They furnish the inner harmonies and contrapuntal elaboration to the melody. The gitara's main function is to supply the arpeggiated or chordal underpinnings of the ensemble. The bajo de unas is tuned like the contra-bass. Membranophones are found throughout the Philippines. They are variously shaped--conical, cylindrical, goblet shaped, barrel shaped. Animal skins (snake, deer, or goat) is used as head/heads of the drum. They may be beaten with sticks or by the palm portion of bare hands. Drums are seldom used alone except to announce tidings over long distances. Usually they are played with other instruments, particularly gongs, to form different kinds of ensembles.        The Ifugao libbit, ludag is a conical drum with   a deer or goat skin head. It is played with a gong during harvest time under the rice granary.        The dabakan is a large goblet shaped drum used by the Maranao and Maguindanao in their kulintang ensembles.        The forgoing listing of Philippine musical instruments has been based primarily on holding of the archives at the U.P. Center for Ethnomusicology. Drawings of the indigenous instruments are taken from a Poster Set of Instruments done by artists Cecile Dioquino-Hidalgo, Anna Arce, Jose Bienvenido Ignacio, and Leah Diaz.

Traditional Musical Instruments from the Philippines

  

        This article focuses on those from the Visaya’s but they are also found in other parts of the Philippines with their own varied local names, (in some cases the same name).      There were basically eight kinds of Visayan musical instruments. Four were very quiet instruments and so were played indoors at night time: a small lute, bamboo zither, nose floot, and reed jew’s harp. The other four were very loud, and therefore suitable for war, dancing, and public gatherings: bamboo or seashell bugle, metals gongs, skin-headed drums, and bamboo resonators.
The kudyapi was a kind of small lute carved out of a single piece of wood with a belly of a half a coconut shell added for resonance, with two or three wire strings plucked with a quill plectrum, and three of four frets, often of metal. The body was called sungar-sungar or burbuwaya; the neck, burubunkun; the strings, dulos; the fretboard, pidya; and the tuning pegs, birik-birik. The scroll was called apil-apil or sayong, the same as the hornlike protrusions at the ends of the ridgepole of a house. The kudyapi was only played by men, mainly to accompany their own love songs. The female equivalent was the korlong, a kind of zither made of a single node of bamboo with strings cut from the skin of the bamboo itself, each raised and tuned on two little bridges, and played with both hands like a harp. A variant form had a row of thinner canes with a string cut from each one.
Tolali or lantuy was a nose flute with three or four finger holes, and was played in imitation of a mournful human voice with shakes and trills though appropriate to wakes and funerals. Subing was a Jew’s harp—a twanging reed plucked between the lips or teeth with the open mouth as a variable resonating chamber, and since its sound could be shaped into a kind of code words understood only by the player and his sweetheart, it was considered the courting instrument part excellence. Bodyong was a conch shell or section of bamboo played against the lips like a bugle, used as a signal in war or as part of a babaylan’s paraphernalia during apaganito. Babaylan also kept time with tambourines called kalatong, a term which included war drums (gadangor gimbal), with the huge ones that were carried on mangayaw cruisers being fashioned out of hollow tree trunks with a deerskin head. Tibongbong was a node of bamboo pounded on the floor as a rhythm instrument.
The most important instrument was the agong, a bronze gong Spanish explorers encountered wherever they went ashore. Pigafetta noted an ensemble in Cebu—a pair suspended and struck alternately, another large one, and two small ones played like cymbals—and in Quipit, three different sizes hanging in the queens quarters. The natives of Sarangani buried theirs in a vain attempt to avoid looting by Villalobos; and thirty Samerenos boarded Legazpi’s flagship in Oras Bay and danced to the rhythm of one, after his blood compact with their chief. Mindanao epics provide a few details of their use. Agong were played either on the edge or on the navel (that is, the center boss or knob), slowly to announce bad news, faster (by the ruling Datu himself) to summon the people. Warships approached the enemy with all gongs sounding.
Gongs were given a larger vocabulary than any other instrument. Alcina (1668a, 4:129) considered it an evidence of the elegance of the Visayan language that there were special terms “even for the cord with which they fasten and hang it, which it would be improper to apply to anything else.” Munginungan was the boss or teat. A flat gong, or one from which the boss had been worn off by long use, was panas, including the plate like Chinese ones (mangmang). The largest one in an ensemble was ganding. Hototok was to play them on the edge with a simple stick, or sarawisaw if more than one player alternated strokes. Pagdanaw or pagbasal was to strike them on the boss with a padded drumstick called basal. (A governor or chief was also called basal, presumably because of his prerogative of sounding a gong to assemble his people.) Actual bells from Spain or Asia were linganay, and little jingle bells—like those the epic hero Bantungan had on the handle of his kampilan—were golong-golong.Chinese gongs were little valued: ones from Sangir were worth three or four times as much, and those from Borneo three or four times that—4 or 5 pesos in 1616. Huge ones said to reach a meter and a half in diameter could fetch one or two slaves. The Bornean gong was a standard of value when bargaining for expensive goods—for example, “Pakaagongonta ining katana [Let’s price this Japanese sword] (Sanchez 1617, 9v). Indeed, assessments like pinipito or pinakapito (both referring to the number seven) were understood by themselves to mean seven gongs.
Gongs were one of four items—along with gold, porcelain, and slaves—required for any Datu-class dowry, or bride-price, and men mortgaged themselves to borrow one for this purpose. The bargaining between the two families was done with little wooden counters placed on top of a gong turned boss-up on the floor, and the gong itself became the property of the mediating go-between upon the conclusion of a successful settlement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_instrument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Philippine_musical_instruments
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=Musical+Instruments&biw=1360&bih=673&tbm=isch&imgil=SUepapR2uczMlM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn1.
http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-c-n-a/article.php?i=155
http://pinoy-culture.tumblr.com/post/29358371729/traditional-musical-instruments-from-the